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MOTU announces 896mk3 FireWire audio interface

MOTU has introduced the 896mk3, a cross-platform FireWire audio interface with on-board effects and mixing. Features include eight XLR/TRS “combo” style analog inputs with high-quality preamps, true hi-Z guitar inputs, a total of 28 inputs and 32 outputs, 192 kHz analog operation, signal overload protection, a 32-bit floating point DSP for digital mixing and effects processing, two banks of configurable optical I/O and much more.

“For high-end FireWire-based audio recording, the 896mk3 offers exceptional audio quality and professional XLR analog connectivity in a two rack-space form factor,” said Jim Cooper, Director of Marketing at MOTU. “If you are looking for the very best that FireWire audio recording has to offer, look no further than the 896mk3.”

– Digital mixing and effects processing
The 896mk3 provides 28 inputs and 32 outputs in a two rack-space form factor. All I/O is routed to a new on-board 16-bus digital mixer driven by hardware-based DSP with 32-bit floating point precision. The mixer allows users to apply no-latency effects processing to inputs, outputs or busses directly in the 896mk3 hardware, independent of the computer. Effects can even be applied when the 896mk3 is operating stand-alone (without a computer) as a complete rack-mounted mixer. Input signals to the computer can be recorded wet, dry, or dry with a wet monitor mix (for musicians during recording, for example).

Effects include reverb, parametric EQ and compression/limiting. The 896mk3’s Classic Reverb™ provides five different room types, three frequency shelves with adjustable crossover points, shelf filtering and reverb lengths up to 60-seconds. Two forms of compression are supplied: a standard compressor with conventional threshold/ratio/attack/release/gain controls and the Leveler™, an accurate model of the legendary LA-2A optical compressor, which provides vintage, musical automatic gain control. Finally, the EQ section provides 7-band parametric EQ modeled after British analog console EQs, featuring 4 filter styles (gain/Q profiles) to effectively cover a wide range of audio material. LP and HP filters are also supplied with slopes that range from 6 to 36 dB.

The 838mk3’s flexible effects architecture allows users to apply EQ and compression on every input and output (a total of 60 channels), with enough DSP resources for at least one band of parametric EQ and compression on every channel at 48 kHz. However, DSP resources are allocated dynamically and a DSP meter allows users to keep tabs on the 896mk3’s processing resources. Each input, output and mix bus provides a send to the Classic Reverb processor, which then feeds reverb returns to mix buses and outputs, with a selectable split point between them to prevent send/return feedback loops.

– Overload protection
An individual trim knob, 20 dB pad switch and 48V phantom power switch is supplied on the front panel for each of eight mic/guitar combo jacks on the rear panel, all eight of which are equipped with preamps and V-Limit™, a hardware limiter that helps prevent digital clipping from overloaded input signals. With V-Limit enabled, signals can go above zero dB (where limiting kicks in) to as high as +12 dB above zero with no distortion due to digital clipping. Additional protection can be applied to the mic/guitar inputs by enabling the 896mk3’s Soft Clip™ feature, which engages just before clipping occurs and helps reduce perceptible distortion.

– Comprehensive metering
The 896 is well known for its comprehensive front panel metering, and the 896mk3 builds on this unique feature to further set it apart. 10-segment ladder LEDs are provided for every input and output. One eight-channel meter bank is dedicated to the eight analog inputs. Another eight-channel meter bank can display any input or output bank, which the user can quickly select with a convenient front-panel rotary encoder. Dedicated main out meters are also provided.

– CueMix FX software
All of the settings in the 896mk3 are accessible from the programmable front-panel backlit LCD. Users can also launch the CueMix FX control software for Mac OS X, Windows XP and Windows Vista. CueMix FX is a completely new software front-end with attractive graphic mixing, graphic editing of parametric EQ and a convenient tabbed interface for quick access to all features in one window. Three separate tabs show inputs, mix busses (eight stereo busses) and outputs. Users click a “Focus” button on any channel or bus to edit its settings in another area on the right-hand side, which provides separate tabs for graphic editing of parametric EQ, compression and other effects. Each channel displays a graphic thumbnail of EQ curves, compressor settings and other channel specific parameters. There is also a section for talkback and listenback. CueMix FX can be operated side by side with any host audio software for Mac or Windows, and it can be controlled from the Mackie Control Universal Pro automated worksurface.

– Comprehensive I/O
The 896mk3 allows users to connect a wide variety of studio gear, including microphones, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines and even effects processors. In addition to the eight mic/guitar preamp inputs, the 896mk3 provides two independent headphone jacks with independent volume knobs, one of which also controls the XLR main outs on the rear panel. This “master vol” knob can also be programmed to control any combination of outputs (analog and/or digital). For example, it can control monitor output for an entire 5.1 or 7.1 surround mix.

All analog I/O, including eight XLR outputs, two dedicated XLR main outs and the eight preamp inputs, can operate at sample rates up to 192 kHz (a total of eight analog inputs and ten outputs). Two optical banks provide 16 channels of ADAT optical at 48 kHz, 8 channels of S/MUX optical I/O at 96 kHz or two banks of stereo TOSLink at rates up to 96 kHz. The banks operate independently, allowing users to mix and match any optical formats. AES/EBU and RCA S/PDIF connectors also supply independent sets of stereo digital I/O.

– Synchronization
The 896mk3 is equipped with Direct Digital Synthesis™ (DDS), a DSP-driven phase lock engine and internal clock source that produces imperceptibly low jitter characteristics (below the noise floor), even when the 896mk3 is resolved to an external clock source via either word clock or SMPTE time code. The 896mk3 can directly resolve to (or generate) time code via a dedicated quarter-inch time code input and output, without the need for an extra synchronizer.

– Expansion, drivers and AudioDesk
As with other MOTU FireWire interfaces, the 896mk3 supplies two FireWire jacks so it can be daisy-chained with additional MOTU FireWire audio interfaces or other devices. The 896mk3 is also fully compatible with the 8pre, a single rack MOTU interface that adds 8 mic preamp inputs to the 896mk3. Because the 8pre connects to the 896mk3 via ADAT optical, its mic inputs are fully integrated into the 896mk3’s on-board CueMix FX digital mixer.

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